SUMMARY ? ADMINISTRATIVE/PROGRAM ENRICHMENT CORE This Administrative/Program Enrichment Core will be the organizational unit responsible for promoting the San Antonio Nathan Shock Center's goal to facilitate transformative research in aging biology through a comprehensive research platform that will integrate longevity (lifespan), physiological (healthspan), and pathological phenotypes for the discovery of molecular and cellular mechanisms that influence aging. The ultimate goal of the Center is to accelerate research that will lead to the development of novel strategies (including the identification of pharmacologic targets) to promote healthy lifespan. The Administrative/Program Enrichment Core will monitor, stimulate, sustain, evaluate, and report progress toward our goal, through the following Specific Aims: 1. To provide administrative, budgetary, and regulatory management support for the Center; 2. To foster an environment that stimulates collaborative efforts and synergies among Research Resource Cores and promotes research career development of early-stage investigators (junior faculty), post-doctoral fellows, and students; 3. To promote interactions in aging research at UTHSCSA, the sharing of Core services with investigators at other institutions, and collaboration with other Nathan Shock Centers; 4. To provide biostatistical support to Center members, and to provide data management and project tracking for each of the Resource Cores; 5. To conduct continuous internal evaluations of the Center and periodic external evaluations By achieving these specific aims, the work of the Administrative/Program Enhancement Core of the Nathan Shock Center will lead to three kinds of progress. First, it will promote well planned research projects and efficient use of research resources. Second, it will create a collaborative research environment within the UTHSCSA that will attract new investigators to aging research. Third, it will foster collaborative efforts with other Nathan Shock Aging Centers and help support aging research at institutions that have fewer resources for research on the biology of aging.